Boat lowering gear



Jan. 24, 1933. .1. B. HUNT 1,895,076

BOAT LOWERING GEAR Filed April 15, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 JOHN BLAIN HUNT INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Jan. 24, 1933. J/B. HUNT BOAT LOWERING GEAR Filed April 15, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 T m my 5 N M N UEMM HV T m M Ja 24, 193.3. 5 m 1,895,076

BOAT LOWERING GEAR I Filed April 13, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 v RN JOHN BLAINVHUNT INVENTOR WM z '3,

ATTORNEYS 45 in line with the side of the vessel.

Patented Jan. 24, 1 933 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN BLAIN HUNT; F PENYLAN, CARDIFF, WALES BOAT LOWERING GEAR Application filed April 13, 1932, Serial No. 604,924, and in Great Britain April 17, 1931.

10 for launching lifeboats from ships or other vessels irrespective of any listwhich may be assumed by the vessel. due for example to accident, and further to provide boat lowering gear which in the event of the davit fail- 5 ing to function as a result of damage or other cause will enable the lifeboat to be launched whether the davits are in the inboard or outboard position.

According to the invention the davits are pivotally supported at their bases upon the deck of the vessel at points spaced from the side thereof in such a manner as to be capable of swinging laterally from an inboard to an outboard position each davit being slid- 5 ably connected to one end of a strut, the other end of which is pivotally connected to the deck of the vessel at a point disposed above the side thereof, stops being provided on each davit for engaging the strut or a part associated therewith for limiting sliding movement between said strut and davit. The davits are preferably constructed of H girder section, are curved outwardly and have mounted at the free ends thereof a device known as a fair lead over which are passed falls for supporting the boat, the falls being connected to winch or other mechanism by means of which the boat may be raised or lowered when desired. The strut is also of metal of H girder section and in the inboard position of the davit is disposed at an angle of approximately to the deck of the vessel, and when the davit is moved to the outboard position the strut assumes a position The free end of each strut is provided with a pair of plates which extend on each side of the corresponding davit and carry rollers between which the davit is positioned and which bear against the davit and permit the same to the boat to ride down the diagonally disposed 6O struts into an outboard position, the weight of the boat in its outward movement swingmg the davits on. their pivots and bringing them into the outboard position, whereby the boat is swung clear of the vessel and may be 6 lowered through the medium of the usual winch mechanism and launched.

The invention is particularly applicable to lifeboats fitted with skates such for example Patent No. 829,274. Where skates are employed the struts are connected by means of a hor zontally disposed rest bar disposed in termediate the ends thereof which serves to support a pair of slides or runways arranged 7 between the davits and pivotally connected to the deck in alignment with the pivotal points of the struts and allowed to bear upon the rest bar so that when the davits assume an outboard position the slides move with the struts and assume a position of alignment with the side of the vessel. The slides or runways form continuations of slides or runways secured to the side of the vessel and down which the lifeboat slides through the medium of the skates thereon until sea level is reached.

In order that the said invention may be as described in the specification of English clearly understood and readily carried into effect reference is directed to the accompany ing drawings wherein Figure 1 is an end elevation of boat lowering gear constructed in accordance with the invention and showing in full lines the in- 9 board position of the gear and in dot and dash lines the outboard position thereof.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the gear illustrated in Figure 1 with the lifeboat disposed in the inboard position. 1.

6-6 over which falls 7 extendand support a boat 8 through the medium of the sheave blocks 9, the boat bein raised or lowered when required through-the medium of winch or other mechanism (not shown) Each davit is slidably connected to one end of the corresponding strut .10, the other end of which is pivotally connected to the deck ofthe vessel in such a-m-anner that the da-vi-t may automatically'move from the inboard position indicated in full lines in Figure l'lto the outboard position indicated in dot and :dash lines when the boat v8 is launched, the movement of eachd-avit from theinboard to the outboard position being controlled bymeans'of :stops 11 and 12 secured toeach d-avit toengage the strut. Each of the zstrutslO has securedthereto a pair of plates .13 and14 which embrace the respective davitand carry rollers 15 and 16 which serve to guide the davit 1 in its lateral movement, the said plates abutting ,against the -Ist0.ps l1 and 12 respectively in the-outboard .and inboard positions of the said davits, and thus determine the position ofthe davits relative tothe deck oftheves- =eel. The .arrangementris suohgth-at in them- .bOMdfPOSllilOIl of thedavits the :struts .10 assume an angle of approximately 145 with mespect-toithe level of the deck andin the outboard position of "the .davits are substantiallyinline with the side of the vessel'so that the weight otthe boat :andthe stresses set up during launching are takenby the side of the vessel. c

.The struts .10are .fitted with ,chocks .17 pivotally 1 connected to the: struts at .18 and each held in operative position :by .means of a removable .pin .19 entering the. associated strut so that instheinboandposition 10f the davits the boat is supported in its 'normal out-of-use position. .Upon removal of the pins 19 the checks will fall hygra-vity and thereby release the lifeboat, whereupon operation of the winch mechanism to.lower the lifeboat will allow the sameto. descend until the. action of its weight issuffic'ient to pull the "the side of the vessel in accordance with the saidEnglish specification. No.c329,274 so that upon release of the boat 8 the skates will serve to ,guide the beat down. the,runways' 21 and. Y22 and thereafter alongrthezrnnwayssecured-.totheside ofthe vessel until ,sea'level is reached,.thisarrangement being particularlyapplicable where the starboard boats have, to be launchedjfiom a vessel having a listito port, or vice versa. c

,- The position of-. the base.of the davit -and the point where the struts :10..arepiv,oted to the deck ofrthe. vessel is sodetermined as to .allow of the inboard stowage .oithe boat and permit the boat vto'be lowered clearof the ships side'when .theldavits are .in the outboard position and atthe same time .give .the requiredangle to the strutslO relative to the level ofathe deck ofthe vessel.

NVhen .itis :required to operate the :d avit the chocks supporting the boatarereleased, whereupon the boat is :ready for launching through the medium of the winch mechanism. As the-boat is lowered thezinclined struts .10 leave the lower stops 12and slide alongthe 'davits 1 and2 until they comeinto contact with the upper stops l1,whereupon-the.hoat

is oroughtinto the outboard position and 1 ready to be lowered clear of the ships side.

Where thevessel has assumed a list the boats on the h'igherside thereof slide'down the runways 21, and 22' and the runways securedto .t-heside of the vessel and thedavits automatically assume the outboard position immediately the weight of the thoatis sufiicientto draw the davits into theforwardiposition.

, -Should thedavits due/to damage remain in the inboard position the release of the chocks still enables the boats tobe lowered. .Similarlyiin the case of lowering boats on the low side of: a listed vessel the davi-ts *remaiutixedin their inboard positionothus facilitating the iembankation of passen em with the maximum of safety. and the life out may be thereafter lowered close into the vessel.

In order to check the possibility of shock when the inclined strut assumes the outboard position, shock absorbers may'be employed,

further a suitable outboard stopcan be applied to maintain-the strut in the outboard position on ,thehigh side of a vessel having extreme list. I

The use of gear according to this invention enables a lifeboat to be ready for direct launching immediately at all times irrespective of the conditions of trim of the vessel, by the simple operation of releasing the chocks so that the boat is lowered and the davits operated simultaneously; further the skates when attached to the lifeboat as a means of dealing with list only require davits modified to give entrance for the lifeboat plus the depth of the skate and do not require an abnormal outboard span in order to launch boats from a vessel having an abnormal degree of list.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In boat lowering gear the combination of a pair of davits each pivotally supported at its base upon the deck of the vessel at a point spaced from the side thereof so as to be swingable laterally from an inboard to an outboard position, a pair of struts each of which is pivotally connected to the deck of the vessel at a point disposed above the side thereof, a slidable connection between each strut and one of said davits and means for limiting sliding movement between each davit and its associated strut.

2. Boat lowering gear as in claim 1, wherein each strut is slidablv connected to the respective davit by means of a pair of plates which embrace the davit and support rollers which bear upon the davit.

3. Boat lowering gear as in claim 1, wherein the struts are supported by a horizontally disposed rest bar and operate in conjunction with a pair of runways for the purpose specified.

4. Boat lowering gear as in claim 1, wherein the struts are each provided with chocks which support the boat in the inboard position the said chocks being movable to release the boat.

JOHN BLAIN HUNT. 

